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Local resident files 23,500 complaints about Dublin airport in just one year

The number of people who complained about aircraft noise trebled compared to 2021 too (Niall Carson/PA) (PA Wire)
The number of people who complained about aircraft noise trebled compared to 2021 too (Niall Carson/PA) (PA Wire)

One person filed almost 23,500 complaints about Dublin Airport last year.

In total, 90 per cent of all complaints about the airport during 2022 were made by a single local resident.

The unnamed serial complainer racked up 23,431 grievances over 12 months, which equates to an average of 64 daily incident reports being recorded.

There was an increase in complaints from other people too. The figure rose from 1,296 complaints during 2021 to 2,765 in 2022.

Data published by Dublin Airport operator DAA outlines the volume of complaints.

Within this information, it was found that one person filed 2,616 complaints to DAA in the month of July about aircraft noise.

While most were made by the same individual, the number of other people who complained about aircraft noise more than trebled compared to the previous year. Some 608 people made a complaint, up from 174 in 2021.

A contributing factor is thought to be increased air travel after Covid restrictions were eased; there was a 375 per cent increase in the number of passengers passing through the international airport in July 2022 compared to July 2021.

Additionally, in August 2022, Dublin Airport’s North Runway was opened. Costing €320m (£284m) to create, planning permission for the 3.1km runway was granted over 15 years ago.

Complaints from 192 people amounted to 900 recorded reports in September. They mostly referred to flights taking off at night.

The one passenger responsible for filing 23,431 complaints in a single year is reported to be from the northwest Dublin suburb Ongar. Meanwhile, other residents who filed complaints hail from areas including Kinsealy, Portmarnock, Swords, Dunboyne and Malahide.

Dublin Airport declined to comment on the number of complaints.